


When the Dovahkiin Dies

by DragonJadeMountain



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Aedra (Elder Scrolls), Daedric Princes (Elder Scrolls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29825997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonJadeMountain/pseuds/DragonJadeMountain
Summary: A memoir by the Last Dragonborn at the end of her life





	When the Dovahkiin Dies

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first creative writing piece I've written in almost a year, so this is pretty short and pretty rough.  
> I have no idea how to tag this piece honestly, oh well

I am dead.

I have lived a life longer than most, blessed with the strength of Mer and the soul of a Dovah. And so it is that the touch of death comes to me not as a foe, but as a familiar friend. As it has touched the lives of those I loved in my time and as I have sent others on their way to Sovngarde, to Oblivion, to whatever places on which their eternity lies, now it is my turn to face eternity.

I have done much in my life, that to think to write it down in one memoir would be a fools errand. I have fought Alduin the World-Eater. I have faced him on the Throat of the World and again in Sovngarde. I have gathered the warriors of old to fight at my side to slay the black dragon at last. I have fulfilled the prophecy from which my life was defined, but I did not end there.

I have slain Harkon the Vampire Lord. I have found him in his own castle and done battle with arrows kissed by the sun and a bow gifted from my Great Father, Auri-El. I have befriended vampires and learned the ancient secrets which they know. I have walked amongst them as one of their own for a brief time, though I must admit, that it didn’t last.

I have battled my first brother, Miraak. He taught me to tame dragons, but I refused to subjugate them to my will. We have fought over dragon souls, but in the end, it was I who remained alive. I did not slay him, but I mourned his death and his betrayal of our father, Akatosh.

I have traveled from my birth land of Valenwood to the coldest corners of Skyrim. I have walked alone from the Sands of Hammerfell to the ashy isle of Solsthiem. I have fought men, mer, and beast. I have slain Kings and Jarls, and done battle against entire armies. I have ventured deep under the earth and explored the oldest of Dwemer ruins. I have made peace with the great Houses of Morrowind. I have walked several planes of Oblivion, from the Shivering Isles, to Apocrypha, to the Realms of Revelry. I have met with Aedra and Daedra and seen things that no mortal should ever wish to see in their life time.

I have wandered and met with Falmer as they were and sang the songs of the Deep Folk. I have gained the blessings of the Stones of Power and made them my own. I have earned my place in this world, fought giants, had children, made friends, and slayed draugr. I have gained the friendship of the Orsimer, swam with the Argonians, and allied myself with the Dunmer. I have walked amongst men, mer, and dragons and found them all good. I have looked at them all with a critical eye and found that the people of Tamriel are inherently good.

I have attended the crowning of Emperor Elisif the Fair. I have personally fetched the crown that would sit upon her head. I have drunken mead with the finest of Generals to the lowliest of farmers. I have done battles with bandits and Daedra equally. I have sung drunken songs of revelry with men in taverns, and shouted fire at Draugr. I have fetched amulets and jewels and prayed at shrines. I have slain mammoths and giants and fetched the masks of every dragon priest buried in the lands of Tamriel. I have traveled the circles of time, blessed by Akatosh, and returned to my own with a greater understanding of all the realms of the world.

I have studied the tongues of dragons with the most ancient of their kind. I have met Elder, Ancient, and Revered dovah, and slain and studied with them all. I have worn armor made of dragon scales and done battle with weapons of dragon bone. I have seen the world through the eyes of a dovah, on their back as we fought side by side as kin. I have studied that ancient words that decorate the walls of tombs and fought the draugr and dragons that guard them. I have named my finest blades in their tongue, to hide their purpose from men and strike fear in the hearts of those who find themselves faced against them.

I have slain the False King Ulfric with my ebony blade, _Lodinok_. I have stood with the Empire of Cyrodil as the Thalmor reared their ugly head once more to do battle with the good people of Tamriel. I have stood with General Tullius as he rallied all the people of these lands to fight for our home. I have fought alongside good men who I consider my shield brothers. I have fought in the Great Second War against the Thalmor and helped to win it. I have stood alone at the battle of Red Road Pass as our armies fled to Blackreach, guided by my map through the ancient ruins. I have led an army of dovah at Fellglow Keep to cripple the Thalmor. I have stood on the greatest of all ships, at the head of a fleet, as we sailed to the Summerset Isles. I have secured the promise of surrender from the rulers of the Thalmor and I have brokered the peace treaty between the Aldemeri Dominion and the Empire.

I have earned the loyalty of the factions of Tamriel. I have run with the companions, crept with the Dark Brotherhood, and stolen with the Thieves Guild. I have sung songs of glory with the Bards College and casted spells with the College of Winterhold. I have earned my place in their families and done all they have asked for and more. I have earned the loyalty of the men of Skyrim. I have gained the favor of the Jarls in my time, taking my place as Thane and naming myself the protector of cities.

I have faced Daedra and Daedric Princes, and wielded their weapons as my own. I have drunk mead with Sanguine, feasted with Namira, hunted with Hircine, and made deals with Clavicus Vile. I have ventured into the realms of Oblivion, walked the halls of Apocrypha, and claimed its knowledge as my own. I have built a great library with the stories I stole from Oblivion. I have claimed the title of Champion from 15 of the Daedric Princes and taken their gifts into my home.

And now I am dead. I do not fear death. I welcome my chance to walk the plains of Oblivion, though where I will end up is unknown to me. Perhaps Hermaeus Mora will claim my soul and I will spend my eternity in the libraries of Apocrypha. Or perhaps I will belong to Nocturnal and I will wander the forests of Evergloam instead. Or perhaps a different fate awaits me, one that I could not have even begun to dream up. I have no idea. I am curious to find out.

But I am not dead yet. I will be soon. I must die first. I have no wish to live any longer. I have done all that I needed to do and more, but I will not take my own life. As once I sent a brave warrior to Sovngarde myself, I will find the strongest warrior in these lands to do battle with and send me to my end. I have heard tales of an Argonian warrior who may yet be the strongest amongst his kind and others. I will seek him out.

My tomb is built, my weapons and armor stand within, along with the knowledge and armors I have gathered that I could not dare let out into Tamriel, too dangerous as it is to be let loose into the world of Men. I have asked my old friend to seal my tomb upon my death, locked tight with no way to enter, even for the bravest of adventurers and bandits. My belongings must stay as they are.

And so it is with this that I say farewell to Mundus, and consign myself to my new eternity. And if it is you who read this, know that I do not go out with sadness. I have lived an exhaustingly long life. I am tired and old, with no signs of decay. It is my time. Do not weep for me, for I do not weep for myself.

I leave Tamriel in a peaceful time that I helped build and sign this memoir in my name as a permanent stamp of my life.

Farewell, and may strong winds guide your journey home.

Signed,

Teris, the Last Dragonborn

_Aal mul ven aak hin boziemlaas fronbrod_

**Author's Note:**

> I've gotten super into Skyrim since my roommate introduced me to it a few months ago so definitely expect more writing if I can find time in between classes. I have lots of ideas lol


End file.
